


Plastic Eyes

by MacAffect



Category: Toy Story (Movies)
Genre: Creepy, Dolls, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Unsettling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-27 00:35:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20939375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacAffect/pseuds/MacAffect
Summary: Alex Miller (OC) is a close friend of Maggie Phillips, Sid and Hannah's mom from Toy Story. Alex is concerned for her friend and the kids when she hears about Sid's story about toys coming to life. After staying with Maggie to help her through a difficult time, she returns home to find her own Toy Story. The dolls her grandmother gave her seem to have taken new life, and Alex starts to understand Sid's stories a bit more.





	Plastic Eyes

“Hhhngh!” My eyes stare into the darkness around me as I sit straight up. I’m gripping my t-shirt and panting heavily. I look in every direction despite the fact that I still can’t see anything. I finally start using my head and flick on the lamp on my bedside table. I’m slowing my breathing but still clutching at my chest. Everything seems normal in the warm yellow glow of my lamp. I place my free hand on my forehead trying to help ground myself more. Once the feeling of dread has mostly left, I reach for my phone to check the time.

“4:25,” I sigh and my shoulders slump.

I’m supposed to wake up in two hours to get ready for my coffee date with Maggie, and I seriously consider forcing myself to get a bit more shut-eye. Through my deliberation, however, I’m now wide awake, and trying to sleep would be useless. Disappointment settles in my stomach as I unplug my charger and start walking to the kitchen to make coffee.

While the coffee is brewing, I open Instagram and scroll through image after image of work out regimens, incredible looking food, and people living their best lives. I close the app and turn my screen off. I open the fridge and stare blankly at the sparse interior until I decide to make toast. Again. As if I will ever choose something else for breakfast.

With the bread now in the toaster, I click my screen on again and open my latest puzzle game. It’s like Tetris, but the pieces are already all on the bottom, and they’re all weird shapes. I manage to get through one of the medium-difficulty puzzles before the “pop” of the toaster makes me jump. Every. Single. Time.

I slap some butter on the toast and pour a cup of bean juice before I head into the living room. I set my breakfast of champions on the coffee table, and grab my very worn copy of  _ Pride and Prejudice  _ before reclining on my couch. I own a large number of books, but this one has always been my favorite, and it feels like the perfect book for the extra time this morning.

I drink coffee slowly, so when I drain the last drops of the now cold cup, I know that it’s about time I get ready. I leave the book next to my dishes on my coffee table and begin my morning routine.

I turn on my favorite playlist with Queen, Lady GaGa, Panic! At The Disco, and more while I get ready. “Mr. Brightside” comes on as I’m stuck deciding on which shirt I should wear, and my eyes lock in on my black tank top with the broken birdcage. Pairing that with my favorite leather jacket and boots, I am finally ready to go. I pause my music and grab my bag to go. With one last look in the mirror, I notice one of my collectible dolls has fallen onto her sister on the shelf above my closet. I was never really much for collecting anything, but my Gramma Lee gave me one for my birthday every year until she died, so I like to take care of them. This one has a hard time staying upright, so I’ve been able to get to know her quite well through the years.

Feeling satisfied with her balance, I grab my bag again and head out the door. The coffee shop we’re meeting at is only a couple blocks away, so I leave my keys in my bag and walk down the road. I enjoy walking places when I can. The houses on my road are mostly townhouses and modest-looking homes, so walking past them makes me feel cozy. Even if I don’t know my neighbors that well, the area still feels friendly. I hear laughter coming up from behind me, and a small group of kids rides past me on their bikes. They’re so cute and innocent at that age. Looking for the most exciting things to do, pretending, and playing. They make me think of my students, so much hope and life dancing in their sparkling eyes.

I’ve always loved working with kids, but never really wanted any of my own. If I’m going to teach 30 plus kids each year, I want to be able to give them my full attention in and out of the classroom. For some of those kids, I might be the only positive role-model in their lives or have the opportunity to have a very big impact on their decisions later in life. No matter what my role is in a kid’s life, I want it to be a good one, and I don’t think I’d be able to be that in my own kid’s life.

That’s usually a dealbreaker for anyone looking for a committed relationship, so I’ve lost many potential partners through the years. But, as long as you have some good friends and something you enjoy doing, there’s not much else you really need.

As I turn the corner, I see Maggie already has a table for us outside. Despite running ten minutes early. I don’t think I have ever beaten Maggie to anything, ever. When I open the gate, Maggie looks up and waves enthusiastically. She gets up to hug me before I can sit down and says she’s already ordered drinks and breakfast for us. I choose not to tell her I’ve had a cup of coffee and toast already.

“I hope it isn’t one of those fancy ‘with the works’ kind of drinks...”

“I know you’ll love it!”

“I always do.”

I settle into the metal chair across from her and sigh. Maggie and I have been friends since college, and we’ve been through a lot together. But despite how hectic our lives have gotten, we’ve never missed our Saturday morning coffee.

“I know I just saw them on Thursday, but how are the kids?” I add as much sugar to my voice as possible to make it sound as shallow and fake as possible.

Maggie somehow tops my sarcasm as says, “Chandra’s doing well, top of her class again, but Chanley slipped to second, so we’ll be revoking her food privileges.”

We both laugh, and Maggie’s brow furrows and she sighs sharply.

“Hannah’s doing well, but I’m worried about Sid…” Her voice trails off. She looks seriously at her hands, clasped on the table and fidgeting.

“Sid was screaming at me when I came home yesterday about toys scaring him or something. Then Hannah comes by with her doll Sally, and Sid screamed and hid behind me. He hasn’t done that in years…”

I wait for her to continue, but we’re momentarily interrupted by our order arriving. We both thank our server, and I turn my focus back on Maggie. Sid has been a little shit for a couple of years now, but deep down he’s still the bright-eyed kid who used to ask for “uppies” and an extra cookie. He was supposed to be at a summer camp for “high-energy” boys, but Maggie got a call from his counselor earlier this week saying that the camp was “not a good fit for him, as he isn’t getting along well with the other boys.” He didn’t give any more details beyond that, and that she would receive a full refund. I think either Sid bullied the other kids to the point that the counselors couldn’t deal with it, or he was the target of the bullying. And considering how arrogant he is, I’m inclined to believe that Sid tried to be the boss but got his ass handed to him early on and the counselors were trying to protect him. But, we’ll never know for certain.

“I just don’t understand what could have happened.”

“Maggie, we know he’s been tearing apart Hannah’s dolls for a while now. I know you’ve been trying to protect him and ‘encourage his creativity,’ but it’s been getting out of hand. Maybe he’s had nightmares about what he’s done and they’re getting blended with reality?”

“That would make sense…”

She’s still looking at her hands. Her curly brown hair is gently being brushed away from her face by the breeze, and the look in her eyes is heartbreaking.

“Maggie,” I say as gently as possible, pausing and hoping she’ll look at me.

She doesn’t.

I feel my lips pressing together, and my eyes start to burn, “You’ve told me about why you think Sid has been acting this way.”

She closes her eyes and I can see her jaw clench.

“You know how much I hate that son of a bitch.”

Maggie doesn’t move.

“I want the best for you and the kids, and the best is not with him.”

“I know it’s not, but I’m afraid of what it’ll do to the kids,” she looks into my eyes, clearly holding back tears. “I’m afraid of what HE will do the kids…”

“He’s not going to do a DAMN thing to those kids.” I could feel my blood starting to boil. They might not be my kids, but they are family and my body will be long cold before I allow anything to happen to those children. I take a steadying breath, “I will not let that man touch those kids.”

Maggie smiles at me and I can tell she doesn’t fully believe me. She’s never told me explicitly, but I know now that she is protecting the kids from just that. But I can tell she’s not sure how much longer that will last. I knew that was why Sid started acting out. I knew that was where he picked up those habits! Rage builds in my chest, but I have to keep it controlled or Maggie will freak out.

“I know you won’t, Alex,” she says it a bit too calmly. “But there’s only so much you can do when you’re at your place and I’m at mine.”

“Then let me hang at your place until you feel safe.”

I say it as soon as it pops into my head. I stare into her eyes with intensity, willing her to understand how much I want her and the kids to be safe and comfortable.

She looks like she’s going to argue, so I cut her off, “You can say I’m going to stay to help Sid for a few days, then you get the papers and tell him he’s no longer welcome in the house.”

“But where will he go?”

Every fiber of my being wants to shout WHO GIVES A FLYING FUCK! But I know Maggie still cares about the useless pile of garbage, so I don’t.

“His old buddies from poker could put him up, or we give him some cash for him to stay somewhere. As long as he’s out of the house and away from you and your family, that’s what matters.”

I reach out and hold her hands. They’re shaking, but she knows it’s the only way to keep her kids safe in the long run. And I’m the only one who will stand up to the man so he’s terrified of me. He wouldn’t dare cross her if I’m there too.

Maggie sniffs hard, “You’re right. I just need to prepare the guest room. Can you come tomorrow?”

I’d really rather go today, but I know she’s going to need the time to prepare herself for what’s going to come. “Yeah, I’ll be over around ten tomorrow morning.”

“Perfect!” She sniffs again and pulls away from my grip. “Now, I ordered you something really nice, so please try it before it gets cold!”

I hate when she changes topics like that, but I’ll always play along. “It smells fantastic, what is it?”

“Ah, ah, ah,” she waves her finger at me, “not before you taste it! You know the rules.”

I comply and bring the warm ceramic to my lips. I slurp louder than I intend, but I cool the drink a bit before it reaches my tongue. A subtle sweetness traces its way around my mouth, flooding my tastebuds with a rich, calming flavor. I sigh out of reflex as the tea makes its way down my throat.

“Mmmmmm, what kind of tea is that?”

“It’s a lavender and chamomile blend. I knew I was going to get you worked up with my worries about Sid, so I wanted to make sure there was something to help relax you afterward.”

Still clutching the teacup, I smile and slouch lower in the chair, allowing my head to rest on the top arch of metal.

“You may have found something a bit too relaxing.”

I bring the cup up for another sip, but I forgot about the angle my head is now at so tea flows much too quickly, and it dribbles down my chin and onto my shirt. I shoot straight up, sloshing more tea onto my pants, before clanging the cup unceremoniously onto its plate. I swallow the tea that was still in my mouth and stare at Maggie who breaks into such deep, genuine laughter that I can’t help but chuckle as well. I start looking for napkins but find none. While Maggie continues giggling, I manage to flag down a waiter and ask for extra napkins.

“Well, at least I smell calm now.”

Maggie burst into another fit of laughter that was so contagious that other patrons started giggling as well. I don’t mind being the butt of the joke if it means other people can find some happiness in their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted fanfic! I work as a teacher myself, so I may not be able to update as frequently or consistently as I'd like. But this is just the first chapter, and I have a ton of ideas as to where I want this story to go. It is going to get creepy and unsettling, but this is based in the Toy Story canon, so it won't be overly intense on the horror aspect. Thank you for reading!


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